Decision taken on Shrewsbury's empty landmark former House of Fraser building
A decision has been taken on plans for Shrewsbury's empty landmark former House of Fraser building.
Shropshire Council has been considering an application for the prominent High Street building since early February.
The proposal, from applicant Ian Irvin-Wright, outlined plans to convert the former department store into apartments - while retaining some commercial space on the ground floor.
The request was to determine whether prior approval was required for the change of use of parts of the building from 'commercial, business and service' to 'dwelling houses'.
In a letter to the applicant Tabitha Lythe, Shropshire Council's Planning and Development Services Manager, said that the prior approval had been required and was approved - meaning the redevelopment scheme can now go ahead.
As part of the planning process it appears that the plans have changed slightly for the ground floor of the building to house one apartment, and not two as originally proposed.
In total the scheme will see 37 apartments - with 36 on the first, second, and third floor.
One of the conditions of the planning consent is that mechanical ventilation is added to a number of units on the first and second floor of the building over potential concerns about odour and noise.
The letter states: "The amended plans and information received indicate that the development utilises existing windows and openings which will provide adequate natural light to all habitable rooms.
"Noise and odour from nearby premises might affect proposed units F13, F14, F17, S10, S11 and S14, but odour is not a matter for consideration under the determination of applications for prior approval.
"A certain level of noise is expected for town centre living but to give future residents choice about opening their windows it is recommended that mechanical ventilation is installed within these units and this has been annotated on the revised plans.
"Prior approval is therefore required and approved subject to the recommended condition."
Bringing the landmark building back into use
A planning statement submitted with the application by agents Berrys, said the proposal would bring the landmark property back into use.
It said: "The buildings are prominently situated within the town centre and have been vacant for several years.
"Their recent acquisition by the applicant provides an opportunity to bring these historic buildings back into a long term and economically beneficial use.
"This proposal seeks to diversify the site into mixed use, retaining the retail offering on the ground floor and making use of the sustainable town centre location to create a diverse offering of residential accommodation within the upper floors.
"The increase of residential accommodation within town centre locations is desirable, and this is reflected within both national and local planning policy which recognise the opportunity to take redundant space and return it into productive use.
"This has the benefit of increasing footfall and diversifying the of town centres away from over reliance on retail, whilst allowing new residents to take advantage of strong public transport connections and proximity of services."
The striking black and white building was home to Rackhams and House of Fraser for a number of years, as a fixture on Shrewsbury's High Street.
But the building has been empty since 2019 when it was closed following Mike Ashley's takeover of House of Fraser.
